1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to auditory user interfaces, and more particularly to a system and method for providing an auditory user interface for use with a device such as a telephone headset.
2. Description of Background Art
For many appliances, visual user interfaces and indicators are unsuitable. This may be due to the particular environment or situation in which the appliance is to be used, or the nature of the device, or the target audience. In some situations, such as for example when a user""s visual focus is necessarily directed at another task (such as driving), the use of a purely visual interface may even be hazardous or dangerous. In others, the use of a visual interface may fail to take into account the particular characteristics of some users, such as visually impaired persons.
Accordingly, many devices employ non-visual elements in their user interfaces. Commonly, other senses such as touch or hearing are used to reinforce the visual component of the interface. For example, a digital tuner in a personal stereo set (such as a Sony(copyright) Walkman(copyright)) may emit a short beep as the user adjusts the tuning; the beep may be repeated in quick succession if the user holds down the button to rapidly cycle through many frequencies. The auditory feedback is heard through the device""s headphones, so that a user can perform such tuning operations without looking at the device.
Auditory user interface elements, such as the above-described examples, are known in the art as xe2x80x9cearcons.xe2x80x9d Earcons are defined as abstract, synthetic tones that can be used in structured combinations to create sound messages to represent parts of an interface. See, for example, Balentine et al., How to Build a Speech Recognition Application (1999), pp. 125-40; Brewster et al., xe2x80x9cGuidelines for the Creation of Earconsxe2x80x9d at http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/xcx9cstephen/earcon_guidelines.shtml; and Blattner et al., xe2x80x9cEarcons and Icons: Their Structure and Common Design Principlesxe2x80x9d, in Human Computer Interaction 4, 1(1989), 11-44. In the context of the present application, the term xe2x80x9cearconxe2x80x9d is used to refer to any distinctive auditory user interface element, or any sound that takes on distinguishable meaning in the context of a particular application or operation. Earcons can be thought of as auditory analogues to icons in the visual domain (i.e. distinctive interface elements that represent functions or objects).
Conventionally, earcons are not generally employed for conveying complex information to a user. In particular, for devices embodying complex operations, prior art user interfaces rely primarily on visual interfaces. Where earcons have been used as user interface elements, such use has been limited to relatively simple operations and devices, due to the difficulty in encoding or conveying complex operational or status information through simple and distinctive auditory cues.
In addition, many devices, such as telephone headset adapters, incorporate many features that can be adjusted by the user. As adapters and other devices incorporate new technology, the number of such features that can be incorporated is increasing. Conventionally, as such features are added, user access and adjustment of such features becomes more complex and requires additional buttons and user interface elements. Adding more buttons to a device may be expensive and difficult, particularly when the device is designed to be compact in size. The additional complexity from more features often leads to confusion on the part of the user, as the operation of the device becomes unduly difficult. Access to such features generally relies upon visual user interface elements that may not be suitable or available to some users in certain situations and environments.
What is needed, then, is a user interface that is capable of handling and communicating complex operations via auditory elements. What is further needed is a user interface that employs auditory elements to simplify operation of a device and facilitate use in environments and situations that are not conducive to visual-oriented user interface elements. A desirable user interface would employ auditory elements as feedback in control operations for a telephone headset adapter, and would provide easily distinguishable and recognizable auditory cues for key functions and operations. Such a user interface would further provide access to configuration and adjustment options for a wide variety of features without introducing additional buttons, visual indicators, or added complexity.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an auditory user interface capable of communicating complex information to a user, including representations of the current state of a parameter of a device. The invention employs a set of acoustically-related auditory elements having distinctive characteristics for communicating current values of device parameters, wherein variations in acoustic characteristics of a set of auditory elements correspond to variations in the operational parameters and/or state of the device. Thus, for example, a series of auditory elements, each having a distinct pitch, may be used to represent a set of values for a volume control function. The series of elements may belong to a particular musical scale or other logical grouping of acoustically distinguishable characteristics, so that a user can easily recognize the relationship among the auditory elements. Other control functions are distinguished by belonging to other logical groupings of acoustically distinguishable characteristics, such as differing types of musical scales, to aid the user in distinguishing auditory elements corresponding to one control function from those corresponding to another. Thus, for example, each control function may have its own tone scale, to aid the user in recognizing by tone scale which function he or she is adjusting. Alternatively, other distinguishing features, such as length of tones, sequence of tones, volume, and the like, may be used to distinguish among auditory elements within a grouping, or to distinguish one grouping from another.
Special auditory elements may be employed to indicate the center value for a parameter which has a range of potential values, or to indicate limit values for the parameter""s range. For example, a double-tone may indicate an end value of the parameter setting, while a triple tone may indicate a center value.
The present invention can reinforce visual user interfaces such as lighted-lamp sequences, bar graphs, and other visual indicators. Alternatively, the present invention can be used to provide auditory feedback for control functions in the absence of visual indicators.
The present invention provides a plurality of modes for the adjustment of parameters in a device, without requiring dedicated buttons for each adjustment. A mode switch is combined with increase/decrease keys to reduce the number of buttons for adjusting parameters and thereby simplify operation. Auditory elements provide information as to which mode is currently active, and as to the current value of the parameter being adjusted. Such information may also be provided visually.
The present invention can be used, for example, for providing auditory feedback for controls in a device such as a telephone headset adapter.